CLEARWATER, Fla. — In the lobby of the Philadelphia Phillies spring training complex, a skinny, fresh-faced teenager sits with his eyes glued to the game on the television.

It may be just another exhibition game for the big team, but this is not just another kid — he's Carlos Tocci, a 17-year-old outfielder from Venezuela who is one of Philadelphia's top prospects.

Tocci was one of the most highly regarded international free agents last year and thus met instant pressure. Last summer he signed one of the largest deals the Phillies have ever given to an international player, a reported $750,000.

"Of course, you know you feel really well when you get that money," said Tocci, through translator and coach Nelson Prada. "But they expect to get something for the money from me."

The Phillies won a bidding war over Texas, Cleveland and Baltimore for his services, a battle that was prolonged as everyone waited for him to reach Major League Baseball's minimum signing age of 16.

It was two years ago, while 15, that Tocci began to realize he could turn the game he loved into a career and dedicated his life to accelerate his development.

"I know now the baseball world, how it works, the scouts and academies and all that, so I started getting involved [more]," said Tocci. "I knew then [at 15] I could sign and I really started to work hard."

Instead of assigning him to their baseball academy in his native country, the Phillies aggressively brought him to the Gulf Coast League for his debut. Leaving his home for the United States was a difficult transition for Tocci, but the decision fast-tracked the teenager's maturation and put into perspective how much he wanted to make it to the major leagues.

"Last year was tough, first year, first experience away from my family, but this year I'm coming in more mature after being here all year," said the 6-foot-2, 160 pounder. "Now I know what I want, I want to be in the big leagues and of course you know that's the life I chose.

"I chose to play baseball, I know it's going to be [away from home] and I know what that's all about."

Tocci, who Baseball America ranks as the 10th-best prospect in the Phillies system, admits he's come a long way from hitting a little rubber ball around as a four-year-old in Maracay, Venezuela. He relishes the fact that his family never pressured him to play, but rather let him do it because he had a genuine love for the game.

"My family has always supported me because I like to play. They always took me to the ballpark and workouts and all that," said Tocci. "It's something that's really inside me, it's not like my father is a big fan of baseball. It's all me, I had the passion for baseball since I was young."

Tocci had mixed success in his first season in the Phillies system. The youngest player in the GCL, he hit .278 in only 98 at bats and showed off his speed stealing nine bases.

His development hit a roadblock, however, after an injury to his groin area.

"For me, it was a stop in the clock and I had to go through everything [again]," Tocci said of the injury.

Scouts have projected Tocci as a five-tool player with a real emphasis on his speed. He hopes to stay injury free this season and continue to improve, setting a lofty goal of jumping over short-season Single A Williamsport and making the Lakewood BlueClaws roster out of spring training.

"I want to steal more bases," he said. "Out of spring training I want to try and make the team [at Lakewood]."

Tocci's spring performance will decide that.

Despite being a long way from home, Tocci is getting closer to his dream of being a major leaguer. One day he hopes to be playing on TV as opposed to watching it.

"When I watch the games, I want to be there," said Tocci. "It makes me work harder to make it to the dream."